


Four Stones And One White Tree

by Jenn_Calaelen



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: F/M, Númenor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-23
Updated: 2012-07-23
Packaged: 2017-11-10 13:51:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/467015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jenn_Calaelen/pseuds/Jenn_Calaelen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The fall of Numenor from the perspective of Isildur's wife</p>
            </blockquote>





	Four Stones And One White Tree

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Zdenka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zdenka/gifts).



Lessil looked up from her loom, annoyed, as her husband entered her weaving room. She had set aside this time to work on the new design, trying to reproduce a pattern of autumn leaves. Isildur crossed over to stand beside her and look at the design for a long moment. She waited in silence, wondering what he might have come to say at this time, but knowing that it is best to let him start the conversation as it must be important.

"Following our council today my father has told me to start preparing for us to leave Númenorë. We must move aboard ship at once and bring the sapling of Nimloth. You must move it safely, for it is vitally important as a symbol to our people and there is no other chance to preserve its line. I trust your skills to ensure its survival."

"What of our household and belongings? Who will travel with us?"

"I will be departing to speak with others of the Faithful - we need to gather everyone who will come and can be trusted. You should start our household moving about, and see to the supplying of the ships."

"Where will our destination be?"

"If it should prove necessary, we will flee to Middle-earth, and seek out the settlements of the Faithful on the Anduin - Pelargir is a great city. You need not fear. It will be no greater hardship to live there than here, watching our land fall into chaos and under suspicion from the King's Men."

She nodded slowly, but tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

"Will you speak with my sister?"

"I dare not - her marriage puts her outside our circles. She has started using an Adûnaic name."

Lessil turned away from him, resuming her weaving, unable to speak. He put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly.

"I grieve for her loss, but you must see that I can not put our people into more danger for her sake."

"She is afraid," she said at last. "You know the dangers that she faces - outside Amandil's protection."

He nodded. "I understand, but there is nothing that I can do."

"Go! Do that which you feel is right," she said softly.

He bent down and kissed her gently. "I will do what I can to save our people."

He walked away, she sat still until she heard the door close behind him, then started crying. Lessil let go the shuttle and hid her face in her hands - she would not weep before him as it would add to his guilt, but despite it all she loved her sister. She allowed herself time to grieve, then got up and crossed our out the room into the courtyard. She knelt at the fountain and washed her face, washing away all traces of the tears. She looked across at the tree - it had grown well and was now a strong sapling. Her family had long grown fruit in their orchards and she knew how to transplant trees, but hesitated - there would be great hardship to keeping the tree alive in a ship for long. She went across to the room containing all the supplies for the garden. She selected a good pot, then turned to the work of moving the tree. She sighed softly - anyone could have done this but the task had been given to her for the sake of the symbol (and possibly to have someone to blame if it went wrong). 

Once it was well settled into the pot she carried it down to the pier. There were already three of the tall ships there. Each was surrounded in activity. She saw boxes and barrels supplies being loaded. The sailors and the families mingles with many of the nobles – clearly the tides were spreading fast around Rómenna. Everyone seeming to be bringing either their most valued possessions or supplies for the journey to come. Lessil walked down the pier, noticing that all turned to look at her, for the tree was taller than she was. She carefully climbed the plank up onto Isildur's ship - his banner streaming from its mast. She put the tree down upon the deck and looked around. One of the sailors hurried over to her.

"My lady, this is the tree?"

"Yes. We must find a safe place for it - on deck until we are sailing, but it needs to remain sheltered from too much salt, especially the soil."  
He looked around.

"Would the wall here, by the main cabin, be a suitable space? This corner will give it protection. I can bring a crate to surround the soil and pot, leaving space at the top to add water."

"That sounds a most practical solution. Especially as it looks like the tree is already too tall to remain inside the cabin for long."

"Yes. It would not stand straight up inside already. However, that would still be safer there in a storm."

She nodded. "Make these arrangements. I will return soon to guard over the tree."

"My sailors will watch as well, none of us will allow it to come to any harm. The cabins here are those that you and your family will be using, so it will be convenient for you."

"Thank you." 

Lessil thought about returned straight away to the house, but instead turned to the cabin. She entered the door, stooping slightly. The interior was beautifully built and furnished - she could see the ways in which the furniture were designed for the space. There were two windows, one onto the deck and the other over the sea. Each had a window sill, and the one over the sea had a window seat below it, running the length of the cabin. In front of that was a wooden table, with a chair at the end, and a low bench along the inside. On the other side of the cabin was a desk and another two chairs, still plain wood, but designed to be comfortable to sit in. However, it was a very masculine space - she could see her husband's mark on it, yet not of hers, as she had never been there. Lessil shivered slightly as she looked around, all the wood made the space seem very oppressive to her. She crossed the room and opened the door into an inner cabin \- this had no windows, and little light, but she could make out the shape of two beds, presumably this was where Isildur and Elendur slept on their voyages. She felt a chill at the knowledge that these two rooms could come to be so familiar as they waited for a signal as to whether they would be leaving their land, however long that would take.

She crossed back and started up towards her house, mentally making lists of what was the most important to bring - the first stage would be to talk to Rusgeth, who was responsible for the supply of the ships. Leaving aside necessities, she turned over in her mind the treasures of her house and her husband's - there were so many treasures, but what to bring in such a limited amount of space. However, first she must arrange the cabin space to her liking - bring her loom and embroidery frame down; cushions for the benches, hangings for the walls; and good bedding. 

She reached their hall, and crossed through the public rooms and out into the courtyard, she walked along to the colonnade and entered into Rusgeth's study. She was sitting there going over lists of some sort.

"Did Isildur speak to you before he left?"

"No, my lady."

"We need to start supplying the ships at once, and move everything important that needs to be kept on board."

She paled. "It has come to that?"

"Yes," Lossil said, struggling to refrain from weeping. "I have moved the sapling of Nimloth aboard. If you have any advice on how to keep it growing safely, please say."

"That is not my area of expertise. I think that the farmers from the coastal areas would have more of an idea, if there are any of them amongst the Faithful."

"Isildur has gone to gather up our people, I will enquire if any return with him."

"I see." She turned back to the lists. "It will be hard to arrange supplies not knowing how soon we are sailing. It is not yet harvest for many crops, and if we are busy packing up there will be less time to harvest and prepare food."

"You can take anyone you need to help you. Just let everyone have a little time to pack their belongings. Oh, you know the capacity of the ships - I will require you to talk to the captains about number of passengers and amount of belongings that each person may bring."

"How soon do you expect the crisis to come?"

"I have no idea. Isildur was in a hurry, and told me to move the tree at once, but it could be days, months or years."

"I see. However, it seems that it is inexorably coming. I will start making plans."

"Do you know which healing herbs are known in Middle-earth? I believe that the window ledge inside the cabin could be used for a window box."

Rusgeth got to her feet and retrieved a ledger of the voyages. 

"Here it is recorded which herbs were found that supplemented the supplies. It is not exhaustive, but it is a start."

Lossil took the book. "Do you require this, or may I take it to study?"

"You may. I know the details that I require for the initial preparations. It is a pity that we cannot take any of the mallorn trees with us, but I have heard that all attempts to transplant such have failed." She ran her hands through her hair. "There is so much that must be done."

"Courage! We will survive this. I will be moving aboard the ship to protect the tree. You should find me there as you need me."

Lossil left, and returned to her weaving room to think. She pulled the desk that she used to work on plans over to the side of her loom and got out paper and a quill to start making lists as items occurred to her.

***

Lossil carefully set up the small loom along the side of the cabin, having moved the desk into the back corner. The loom blocked the access to the cupboards there, but those were filled with the family's heirlooms and items that she did not want to leave behind, yet not likely to be needed on board ship. The loom made the cabin feel smaller, but it gave her something to do, and from the seat in front of it she could look directly out of the window at the sapling of the White Tree. She sat down, carefully threading the shuttle, ready to start. She sighed slightly for her larger loom, where she could do large scale patterns, however the smaller setup would make it simpler to experiment with new patterns. She looked through her baskets of different types of thread, picking out woollen ones, thinking that she should weave a new cloak for Elendur, as he was growing taller again. She sorted through the colours, picking out blues and greens to suit him, and thinking of patterns of the sea, which seemed appropriate. She threaded the shuttle and set it in motion, the simple pattern coming easily to mind without her having to focus on it. Slowly the cloth started to grow under her hands and she relaxed into the work. 

After a while she heard the door open behind her, and looked around to see her husband standing there, an odd look on his face, carrying a large ornate box.

"Is there a problem?" she asked gently.

"No, my lady. I was just overcome - you have turned this cabin into a home," his voice broke slightly on that. 

She looked around, seeing it though his eyes, the tapestries and curtains on the walls, the rugs on the floor and cushions on the chairs, all in the patterns she customarily used. He set down the box he was carrying on the table and crossed the room to her as she put down the shuttle and stood. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, softly and first then harder.

"Lossil, thank you. I should remember that you at your loom has always been my image of home, and it is reassuring to know that it will not be lost," he stopped, unable to finish the sentence, she saw tears in his eyes.

"Even as we must leave our land behind," she finished it for him, and pulled him over to sit on the bench under the window, now covered in cushions. He nodded and rested his head on her shoulder. She could feel his body shaking and started weeping herself,  but after a while both slowly stopped, and sat together in silence for a while, taking comfort in their company.

"Are we ready to sail, when it comes to it?" he asked eventually.

"As ready as is practical. There is not enough room to keep the animals on the deck until we are sailing, or to take the horses aboard in advance. There are supplies packed, but more will be added as the harvests come in."

"Thank you for managing all of this. I could not have."

"You were needed to gather our people. How many are coming?"

"Too few. Most are either too afraid to come or refuse to believe that doom is at hand, even among the Faithful."

She sighed. "Perhaps they simply have more faith."

"Is it too much of a hardship for you to remain here? I would fear for you if you remained on land for any length of time."

"As I fear for you in your dangerous work, but I will remain here - I must go ashore to help our people, but I will always rest here for you."

"That you, my dear." He held her close and she clung to him for the comfort that he could bring her.

"Where is Elendur? Will you leave him here as you travel?"

"He is with Anárion at the moment, but I will take him with me - it is much less dangerous for us to travel together and he would resent being left here like a child."

She sighed. "I know. Please look after him, and yourself."

"I always do, and I will come back to you, my love."

"Before I forget, that box is important, it contains four of the palantíri - I was able to rescue them and entrust them to your safekeeping."

"I will guard them for you, my lord."

***

"Come out and look at the sea," Elendur cried out.

Lossil put down her comb and hurried out of the cabin. The sea and sky were twisting, the waves getting ever higher.

"Quick bring the tree inside," she cried out. 

Several of the sailors hurried over, and helped her. Afterwards she hurried to help close the shutter over the window, then holding on tightly looked towards the shore. She looked at it and saw Meneltarma erupt into fire and the waves come higher and higher over the land. Tears poured down her cheeks as she watched her home - the buildings of Rómenna flood with level after level of water until nothing could be seen. As this happened the ships were carried further and further east. When Númenorë had disappeared from sight under the water, Lossil struggled back to the cabin, fighting against the wind to open to the door. She pulled herself inside, then closed the door, leaning on it with all her weight to get the lock to catch. She shivered, and suddenly realised that she was soaked to the skin. She slowly undressed, struggling with the wet garments, then redressed in a simple black dress for morning all those that were lost. She hung up her clothes, carefully separating the layers to allow each to dry properly, distracting herself from thinking with the routine task.

***

Days later, she was never sure how many, the storm subsided and Lossil climbed back onto the deck, despite the darkness. Isildur was at the helm again, and she clambered up to stand next to him. He moved to put an arm around her.

"Look ahead, see ahead. There is the land, you will see it properly as the sun comes up."

She nodded.

"It is a beautiful land in which to make our future. Who knows what will come?"

**Author's Note:**

> Isildur's wife is not given a name anywhere in the extended canon as far as I could tell (like so many of the other women). I gave her a Sindarin name because I was trying to work through the various things said about naming conventions and got very confused, so I apologise if it does not fit canon. I used the _Merin Essi ar Quenteli_ website to construct the name - again, apologies if it is incorrect.
> 
> I hope you like this story, I loved your prompt, although trying to write a Silm based story on a deadline was challenging - so much research! I have tried my best to stay within canon facts, but may well have missed something as this is not the period of ME history that I am most familiar with. :)
> 
> The title is, of course, an adaptation of a canon quote.


End file.
